Shining is exhausting.

A friend and I were talking the other day.  She has a cause she cares about like I care about Shine and like you care about something that makes you tick.  We were commiserating about the irony of our respective situations.  How is it our passions could be the source of so much pleasure and, simultaneously, be responsible for some of our deepest lows - at times, even verging on feelings of depression?

It's complicated.

On the one hand, pouring yourself into a cause that you care about is exhilarating and motivating, and the very thing that makes you bound out of bed in the morning.  I don't care if it is helping to find a cure for breast cancer, hosting the House of Shine website, teaching Pilates, making cards, serving students, creating art, or raising kids.  When we are doing what we love, we are energized.

On the other hand, pouring yourself into a cause that you care about is exhausting, overwhelming, and, at times, leaves you wanting to throw in the towel.  There are times when we daydream about how different life would be if we were out from under the insatiable desire to make our dreams come true.

It's complicated.

How is it that, the very thing that brings us energy can also be the thing that leaves us feeling depleted?

I don't have the answer, but I would be interested in what you have to say.  Join us in the Community Forum labeled, Today's Post and tell us, from your own experience, why the very thing that exhilarates you can also exhaust you.

Shining off until tomorrow...